


Comfort in the Storm

by katofthenorth



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types
Genre: Bittersweet, Fluff, I just want Daelin to be a good dad, Jaina needs a hug, lil Jaina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-25 19:01:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20729189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katofthenorth/pseuds/katofthenorth
Summary: Look, sometimes you think about how close Jaina and her father probably were when she was little and you give yourself feels and have to write about it.Or-Jaina is afraid of a thunderstorm and Daelin has the cure. (spoilers, its dad hugs)





	Comfort in the Storm

Jaina let out a small shriek as a loud boom of thunder shook the walls on the Keep. As the rain pounded harshly against her windows, the little blonde tried to bury herself further into her plush blankets in an attempt to block out both the sound and her own wish to run to her mother.

She was a big girl now, her parents had been telling her that since they had moved her to the room down the hall so that her baby brother could be closer to them.

She could hear Tandrid crying just barely over the sound of the storm. No doubt her mother was already fussing over him. Jaina squashed down the swell of jealousy that bloomed in her in favour of holding her hands out in front of herself. Her father and brought her a book of basic magic from one of his voyages when her natural talents had begun to show and Jaina had read it so much it had already begun to fall apart. A small magelight was all she had been able to do, but the feeling of mana channeling through her always calmed her.

She concentrated as hard as she could, scrunching up her nose in effort, making sure to pronounce each uttered word of the spell as carefully as she could. Jaina had learned the hard way what could happen if she didn’t. Magelight, as it turned out, could very easily become a fire spell and Jaina had no want to repeat the dining table incident. They still hadn’t found a way to get the stains out of the carpet.

She beamed with pride when a light materialized above her hands. It took her only a fraction of the time to perform the spell now that she had been practicing. Her success, however, was short-lived. Another boom of thunder, louder than all the others, had her hiding once more beneath her blanket, the magelight vanishing in a wisp of smoke.

Unwilling to stay in bed any longer, Jaina wrapped herself in her blanket and made her way into the hallway. Tandrids cries were louder without the thick wood of her door to muffle them, she could even make out the words of her mother's song as she crooned to him. Jaina wanted so much to go and join them, but thinking about how proud her parents were of how grownup she was been behaving froze her mid-stride. Grownups didn’t go running to their mothers.

With a small sniffle, Jaina tugged her blanket tighter and walked the other direction. She didn’t have a destination in mind, not really, but she wasn’t surprised when she found herself standing in front of her father's study. The door was wide open and the room was lit by the welcoming lights of several lamps. Daelin was sat behind his desk, scratching away at a piece of parchment, working late as usual.

She was about to try and sneak away back to her room when the rumble of thunder startled a small shriek from her. Daelin looked up in surprise, “Jaina? What are you doing up so late?” He asked her, not unkindly. He looked her over, noting how she shivered beneath the blanket, how her eyes seemed just a little red and watery. The slight tremble of her lip was what finally broke him. Setting his quill aside, Daelin pushed his chair back and patted his lap, “come here my starlight, tell your old man was ails you.”

Jaina needed no further invitation as she hurried around the desk to find comfort in her father's arms as he pulled her close. She hid her face against his coat, breathing in the smell of the sea that always seemed to cling to him, and tried to relax as Daelin rubbed her back in soothing circles. She closed her eyes tightly, listening to the song her father hummed softly, just for her.

“There we are, Jaina. That’s my girl,” Daelin said, rocking her gently, “tell me what has you so frightened, Starlight? Hmm? Is it the storm? It is a nasty one, isn’t it?”

“Not scared,” Jaina muttered, “you and Mama keep telling me I’m grownup, and grownups don’t get scared.”

There was such conviction in her little voice that for a moment Daelin nearly agrees with her. She was going to do great things in her life, at that moment he was sure of it. Instead, Daelin smiled and held her closer, “nonsense. Of course grownups get scared. I’m scared of lots of things.” That declaration drew a scoff from Jaina and Daelin shifted her so that he could see her face and wipe the trace tears from her eyes, “it’s true.” He leaned closer, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “for example, I am terrified of your mother’s cooking. That's why we hired Samson.”

Jaina couldn't help but giggle at that, “Papa that is mean!”

“Aye, I suppose it is,” Daelin agreed, solemnly, “but you haven’t seen her burn water.” They laughed together at that and he pulled his daughter close again. When their laughter died out, Daelin stood, hitching Jaina up against his hip as she smothered a yawn against his shoulder, “alright Starlight, back to bed with ye, else your dear mother will have both our hides.” He walked carefully down the hall, careful not to jostle Jaina too much. “You know,” he started, “growing up doesn't mean you have to be brave in the face of everything or handle anything you face all by yourself. It is more than all right to ask for help when you need it. Do you understand, Jaina?”

“I do now, Papa,” Jaina tiredly replied as she was set back down on her bed. It was while she was helping her father lay her blanket back out over her bed that she noticed something, “the storm stopped. I didn’t even notice.”

Daelin chuckled, “that’s the power of asking for help. You were too distracted to be afraid of the storm.” He tucked her in nice and snug, brushed a few strands of her golden hair out of her face. As Jaina struggled to keep her eyes open, Daelin crouched down next to her bed, “can I tell you what scares me the most, my starlight?” He smiled at her sleepy acceptance, “I’m afraid that one day, you’ll be too grown up to need me anymore. That you won’t come to me to help you when you’re scared or worried. Sad or lonely.”

Jaina shook her head against her pillow, “that’s a silly thing to be afraid of,” she said through another yawn, “more silly than being afraid of a storm. I’ll always need you, Papa. Always.”


End file.
